Video: The History and Future of the Finnish Language
A lecture by Hilary Virtanen from the Library of Congress exploring the Finnish language, its political history, and its future.
For centuries, Finland has been a multilingual society. Its major language, Finnish, coexists alongside Swedish, Russian, Sami, Romani, and Karelian, among others. Finnish is a Uralic language, related to neighboring Karelian, Sami, Estonian, and Hungarian. It’s thought to be over 3,000 years old. Swedish and Russian both entered somewhat common use before the nation’s independence. In addition, there is a sizable population of Finnish speakers in Sweden.
One particularly notable trait of Finnish is its lack of a future tense. Instead, Finnish speakers simply make their plans in the present tense.
Today, Finnish is spoken by about 5 million people worldwide, which is less than Finland’s total population. These numbers, however, have increased over time, and Finnish is likely to enjoy a vibrant future. This video from the Library of Congress features Hilary Virtanen, assistant professor of Finnish and Nordic studies at Finlandia University, as she discusses both the legacy of Finland’s independence and the future of the Finnish language.
References:
Haarmann, Harald. Modern Finland. McFarland, 2016.
“The World Factbook: Finland.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 1 Feb. 2018, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fi.html.
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